Improved brick-machine



1.13. (lltIDIilCY,UF

AL ANY, NE\V YORK.

IMPROVED BRICK-MACHINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,006, dated October 23, 1866.

To all whom it may eonefra:

Beit known that I, J. I. GRIDLEY, of the city and county of Albany, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick-Machines; and I do hereb)y declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the nature, construction, and operation of the same, reference beingl had to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this specifica tion, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan ot' a brick-machine einbodying my improven'icnts. Fig. 2 is avertical central section of the same, the line r a7, Fig. l, indicating the plane of section. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the machine, showing the side where the plunger and mailbox are located. Fig. i is a horizontal section in the line y y, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in they several figures.

My invention consists, iirst, in operating the plunger, whereby the bricks are forced into the molds by means of a grooved wheel or otherequivalent device, which shall be adapted to gradually force the plunger down upon the clay in the mold, retain the pressure thereon until the mold is forced from beneath the plunger, then elevate the plunger and sustain the same in its elevated position longcnough to permit the mud-box tobe relilled, and then force the plunger down upon the clay, as before, and so continue thc operation 5 second, in the employment of revolving tian ges or projections in connection with weights or sprin for the purpose ot' operating the levers which feed the molds to and from the mud-box; third, in mounting the mold-feeding follower upon flanged or groovcd wheels adapted to run upon tracks on the bed of the press, in order to constitute guides for said follower and prevent the same from wabbling or moving outof line during its operation.

In order thatothers skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may be enabled to fullyY understand and use the same, I will pro coed to describe it in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A is the large box or reservoir from which the clay is supplied to form the bricks. In

this box is a central vertical shaft, Il, which is provided with a series of adial horizontal arms, 13', which serve to keep the clay in a state ot' mobilit)V as the shaft B is revolved by a team attached to the sweep C.

The posts or uprights A sustain the box A in a suitably-elevated position.

One side ofthe box A, at the bottom, is provided with an opening or throat, D, through which the clay is forced by the arms or paddles E, attached to the lower end of the shaft B. As the clay is forced from the box A it is received into the mud-box F, in which works a plunger, G, attached to an adjustable rod, II.

The mud-box F is to be provided with a false or grated bottom corresponding with the form of the molds, in customary manner.

The molds in which the bricks are formed are fed beneath the mudbox Fand pushed ont therefrom in the manner hereinafter explained. i

I represents a wheel, an edge view of which presents a zigzag appearance, as in Figs. 2 and 3, and which is provided on its periphery with a groove, I', which, following the contour of the wheel, has alternate level surfaces 17 'il at different elevations and intermediate inclined planes `i2 if.

A friction-roller, J, attached to a wrist-pin projecting at a right angle from the upper end of the plunger-rod H, rests in the groove of wheel I, and thus the plunger is operated as the wheel I is rotated, the rotation of the lat ter being effected by the shaft B, upon the upper end ot' which the wheel is centrali)7 keyed.

The object in providing the groove I of wheel I with the succession of level portions and inclined planes will be understood from the following description of the operation of the plunger.

While the roller occupies one part of the groove I', the contiguous inclined plane acts to depress the roller and gradually force down the plunger G through the medium of the rod H. The plunger G is thus made to exert a gradual pressure upon the clay, and the latter is forced down through the false bottom or claybars of the mudbox F and compressed into the mold beneath. As soon as the descent ot' the plunger ceases the roller J occupies a position upon the lower level surface or portion, t', of the groove I', and no force being exerted upon the roller b y this part of the groove,

ing the clay, or from the suction which is prothe plunger G remains at rest, and is held l down upon the clay in the mold, so as to retain the pressure upon the latter until the mold is delivered from beneath the mud-box by the follower. Then the lnold has been thus discharged with its quantum of bricks, the continued rotation of the wheel I causes the adjacent inclined plane i, for instance, to raise the roller J, and thus elevate the plunger GV suflicicntly high within the mud-box to clear the opening D and permit the discharge of another supply of clay from the reservoir into the mud-box. The Lipper level surface or portion i of the groove l', which traverses the roller J immediately after the elevating inclined plane, has the effect to retain the pilinger in its elevated position until the mud-box is completely filled. Then the succeeding inclined plane depresses the plunger, and the next level portion of the groove has the effect to hold down the plunger while the mold is being ejected, as before described.

The object in holding the plunger down upon the clay while the mold is being discharged is to retain the clay in its compressed celulition till it is free from liability to expand or rise, which happens from too suddenly releasduced when the i'ilunger is raised directly from the mold when the latter is under the mud-box.

K l K represent a series ot' rollers supported upon the bed L of the press, and occupyingl a position directly under the mud-box F. These rollers Serve to support the mold, and permit the same to be forced out while under the pressure ofthe plunger G. As fastasthe molds are discharged they are received onto a platform, M, which is supported upon the projecting end ot' the bed L.

N is the follower, which advances and discharges the brick molds. This follower is mounted upon grooved whcelsn `n a', the flan ges of which embrace the tracks o 0 o, (see Fig-1,) which are laid upon the bed of the press beneath the reservoir A.

The follower N is jointed to the inner end of a pitman-rod, P, which is pivoted at its opposite extremity to a lever, Q. This lever is pivoted at l to the sideof the reservoir A, and at its upper extremity carries a friction-roller, Q', which is forced outward by flanges or projections R on the wheel I. Willen the upper end of the lever Q is thus forced outward the pitman-rod l and follower N are advanced toward the mud-box F, and the mold, which is placed upon the bed L, is by the follower moved beneath the mud-box, and thus placed in position to receive the clay as it is forced from the mud-box by the plunger. The follower having thus advanced is retracted, to make room for another mold, by means of a weight or spring attached to the lowcrend of lever Q, the upper end of the latter being thereby thrown into the path of the revolving tlanges or projections l, ready to be again forced ontward to feed the mold to the mud-box. The empty mold pushes the illed one from beneath the mud-box and assumes the position previously occupied by the latter.

The arrangement of the wheels n. n n is shown in Fig. 4, two, a n., being placed at opposite sides ofthe follower N, andin a line intersecting the longitudinal center of the bed L at right angles, and the other, a', being located at the center of the follower N, but not in the line of the wheels n a. This arrangement of the wheels of the follower prevents the wabbliug or ilrcgular movement which might occur if the wheels were all placed in line.

T is a lever, which is moved by the cams or projections lt and a weight or spring, and operates in the same manner as the lever Q. To the lower end of this lever is pivoted a pushing device, V, which slides the moldsfrom the platform U onto the bed L, where they are fed to the mud-box, as before explained.

lt is manifest that the ilanges or projections l may be employed in brick-machines in which the plunger is operated by means different from those herein described-as, for instance, instead of being applied to the wheel l, they could be placed upon the main cog-wheel of brick-machines in which the plunger is operated by gearing.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. Operating the clay-compressing plunger of a brick-machine by means of the grooved wheel I, orits equivalent, so that said plunger shall be depressed gradually but forcibly, and elevated and arrested or retarded in its operation at intervals, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The flanges or projections lt, or their equivalents, for giving motion to one or more levers which feed the lnold to the mud-box.

3. In a brick-machine, mounting a wheeled follower or mold-feeding device upon tracks, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

J. ll. GRIDLEY.

Yt'itnesses:

Unas. D. Snrru, Guo. W. Rornwnu.. 

